The Jade Dragon
by Sheep
Summary: A mysterious elf comes from beyond MiddleEarth only to bring about suspicion, horrible danger and Legolas' fate to Mirkwood according to a prophecy a stargazer has read from the skies. Who is she? No romance, has TSFD connections.
1. Prologue

A/N: I'm trying to write _The Jade Dragon_ so any reader could understand and enjoy it without reading _The Search For Darkness_ but there are some things that would make more sense if you read _The Search For Darkness_ first.

This fic begins in a time very much like ours, not in Middle-Earth and Legolas, along with most of the Fellowship, is about 19 years old.

Disclaimer: All rights concerning Lord of the Rings belong to the Tolkien Estate and New Line Cinema.

* * *

_From out of the shadows  
__Rise Nine points of Light.  
__Together, they spread  
__And dispel Darkness._

_Touching lives,  
__Calming chaos,  
__Guiding souls,  
__All with the power of Light._

_One Light touched another,  
__One from a different world.  
__Both dimmed in an Age past.  
__Both brightened in an Age creating._

_A Prince will see  
__How the Wind changed  
__The Light._

_This is her story.

* * *

_

The morning sun shattered the night sky with magnificent rays of gold and pink light as the stars above flickered and disappeared for the day. It looked like a clear day for the survivors of the War of Darkness to enjoy.

_Finally_, Legolas thought as he watched the sunrise from the branches of his favourite maple tree. He shifted slightly and a large splash of morning dew dropped onto his short, spiky blond hair. _We've had nothing but rain for days._

The Fellowship did not survive the War of the Ring in Middle-Earth but they were needed far into the future to do battle with a greater evil. They had been reincarnated into a modern world with technology, urban sprawl and a doomed future. But, fate called to the Fellowship to fulfil and rise to the destinies that were laid out to them when they were still attending high school with Gandalf as their teacher.

Nevertheless, the Invasion happened and the world crumbled and humanity collapsed at the hands of the Dark Master. In a great search for Darkness, the Fellowship of the Nine took up their duties as warriors of Light and defeated the Darkness to bring about a new and peaceful Age.

Now, over a year after the War of Darkness, the Fellowship helped in rebuilding their city in a renewed way. In honour of their past and their heroic deeds, the people had come to call their reclaimed city as the Gray Haven.

In the ancient past, of course, the Gray Havens was a place where pain and suffering could not touch and it was where the race of Elves retreated from Middle-Earth.

Their new city was to be the rebirth and a model of the legendary Gray Havens. It stood between the wreckage of the Darkness and the purity of Light where the new Gray Haven was approaching.

The now-famous St. Francis Church, where many survivors had stayed to heal from the War, cast a long shadow with its bell tower and reflected the sun's light. Out of the corner of Legolas' eye, he could see the mosque's tower and the Buddhist temple on the other side.

After watching the sun rise off the horizon, he let out a long, soft sigh and left his spot in the maple tree. He made his way to St. Francis Church as the city woke up.

His mind strayed a little as his feet, adorned with comfortable running shoes, took him around the trees and through the park. He thought back about a month ago when the whole city had a huge celebration for the anniversary of the end of the War. One particular scene stood out in his mind.

He was walking through one of the halls of St. Francis when he passed a door that was left slightly ajar. The laughter of girls rang out from inside the room and he couldn't resist. He peeked in.

Inside, a young Chinese girl about his age known as Maikaza, or Kaza, was modelling a very rich Japanese kimono for her friends and Galadriel. It was for celebrating that night.

"So what if it's Japanese?" Micah, a girl with an Indian background, asked. She, like Kaza, had lived her life in the Gray Haven and had even helped in rebelling against the Darkness. "Japanese culture IS rooted in Chinese culture. Besides, we don't have a lot to work with so you can't be all that picky, you know."

"I know," Kaza sighed. She did a small pose in front of the full-length mirror. "I guess it'll have to do."

That was when the ladies noticed him and kicked him out playfully. Ever since then, his dreams were filled with Mirkwood and those robes. Something about Kaza wearing those robes triggered a deep memory from within his mind.

He knew from the first time he saw the silver dragon that there was something familiar about her and her magic. He knew that he had encountered them before but he couldn't remember where or when before but he knew now.

He closed his eyes at the edge of the park and remembered his old home. For a moment, the trees were tall and old again and the Great Hall was just in view. Singing Elvish voices floated between the trees and he could hear someone calling his name.

"Prince Legolas! Where are you?" Someone was calling him… "Prince Legolas…!"

Someone…

"Hey, Legolas!"

He looked up and saw Galadriel waving him over. Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he ran over to her and tried making his messy, spiky hair presentable over the way. "Morning, Galadriel!"

She scoffed and sighed as he came closer. "You know that you shouldn't try to neaten yourself for me; we both know it'll fail. But…" She reached over and pulled a budding twig from the back of his shirt collar. "…you shouldn't spend so much time in the trees."

"I feel better in the trees," he said bluntly.

"They feel a bit more comfortable, don't they? I miss my forest, too. But a lot of people often ask about your whereabouts, Legolas, especially quite a few of the ladies."

He shifted nervously and gave her an uneasy smile. "I noticed. Most of them are just way too old for me. Practically cougars."

"Well, I'd thought you'd be happy for all this attention," she laughed and led him to a small restaurant for breakfast. "You are a pretty good-looking young man, after all."

"No, I know. And I am." He hesitated. "At least, I think I am."

She rolled her eyes and wondered if he was fully awake yet. Although she was more than twenty-five years older than Legolas, she was forming a sisterly relationship with him. "Don't you have a mirror in that flat of yours?"

"No! I mean, yes! I know I look good but I just…" He sighed and stopped. He looked away from her while she ordered their breakfast and sat down at a side table. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her look at him and sit down across the table from him.

"What is bothering you, Legolas?" she asked softly. Her gentle eyes looked at him filled with concern. "You have not been yourself since the festival."

He paused, a little uncomfortable. He didn't feel right dreaming about the memories of the past but he knew he could trust Lady Galadriel.

"It's Kaza," he finally said. "I can't get her out of my mind since I think I remember her in our past, in Middle-Earth. She was staying in Mirkwood for a while and our kingdom had a rather interesting experience. And yeah, I know how dirty that sounds."

He shifted nervously in his seat before he said, "I'm remembering all this through my dreams."

She looked at him with inquisitive eyes.

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"No!" she said immediately. "You're only crazy if the entire world thinks you're crazy even though you could be the only sane person in their right state of mind. I was just wondering…"

Legolas slouched a bit, preparing himself for an embarrassing question he wasn't all that willing to answer.

"Am I the one who you should be telling all this?"

He looked at her blankly as she sipped her hot tea, which had just arrived with his orange juice. "What, I should tell Aragorn? Or Gimli? I don't think they'd really want to hear something like this..."

Galadriel heaved a long sigh. "Are you purposely trying my patience this early or what?"

He just smiled and said sarcastically, "No... Never!"

She laughed and put her cup down. "Really, you should tell Kaza about what you remember about the past. She needs to know who she is. You know that the Invasion completely destroyed all her memories of the past."

"And yet she managed to save all eight of us from the Lair," he said quietly, gently. "She had a bit of help, but… it was still her." He paused again, unsure. "Do you think I should talk to her today?"

"Why not? She said that she would be spending her day by the shore of the river. She said that it's fun to climb around the rocks by the beach."

"Oh, cool. Guess I should sit her down and tell her about what happened in Mirkwood, huh?"

"It would be a good idea to spend some time with her," she said.

Just then, their breakfasts arrived. She told him as they began eating, "Especially since she's been a bit quiet lately."

"Which is never a good thing," Legolas admitted. "I'll go cheer her up with a good story."

After the Darkness was destroyed, the world was still left crippled. Technology that needed hundreds or thousands of manpower to maintain simply couldn't function anymore because of the damage they had suffered.

So, the entire world went back to the traditional ways of living. In many ways, Middle-Earth was being reborn.

Given a second chance to build itself, humanity in the world was working towards a less harmful, peaceful society. Perhaps thy saw that the more efficient methods could sometimes do more harm to people than the simpler methods.

Legolas walked through the bustling city after breakfast in search for Kaza, the girl without a past.

Many of the Gray Haven's people waved to him and greeted him cheerily as he went by. More than once, a young woman would give him a seductive look but he greeted them like everyone else and went on his way. He was going to talk to Kaza today.

When he got to the beach, all was quiet and peaceful. The river was on one side of him, towards the sun, and it fed into the gigantic river delta that ran into the sea.

As he made his way along the sandy beach to the rocks that lined a cliff by the shore, he watched a repaired sailboat glide by on the water. The wind that carried the faintest hint of the salty ocean filled its sails and brought it away from shore.

He climbed the jutting rocks with ease and enjoyed the feel of the warm wind blowing through his short hair. He kept an eye out for Kaza as he jumped from rock to rock but there was no need.

"Did you lose something around here, Legolas?"

Kaza was standing on a rock closest to the water and looked up at him, smiling. Her dark Chinese eyes squinted in the sun and she was usually smiling but something behind them always looked like she was a little bit lost in herself. She was a little short, a few inches taller than 5'0" Gimli at the time, but having a main fighting role in the past War meant that she possessed a certain flair of grace and strength.

But at the moment, she looked like any other nineteen-year-old. And she shared part of her past with him.

Legolas grinned at her and began to climb down to her. "Not exactly, Kaza. I can't lose you if I never found you in the first place, can I?"

"True enough." Being quite a bit shorter than he was, she looked up at him. "So what's up? You usually don't come looking for me unless you want something."

"Actually," he began and gave her a friendly smile, "I was wondering if you would let me help you." He sat down on the flat rock and looked at her reaction.

As expected, she was confused and gave him a look. "Help me?" she echoed. "Help me with what?"

He had thought about how he should begin to tell her on his way through the city. He was a quick thinker and, right now, he was also well-prepared.

"The War wasn't the first time we've met," he said after a small pause. He maintained constant eye contact. He knew that she had looked into his deep blue eyes like this before. "We met each other once a long time ago. About five thousand years ago, actually. Back in Mirkwood, when I was still Prince Legolas."

If anything, Kaza looked even more confused but sat down next to him. "You know something about my past?"

"Are you sure you want to hear this?"

She looked back into his blue eyes with determination. "Tell me, please."

"Okay," he said and got into a comfortable position on the boulder. "I'll tell you the story about you…"

She got into a comfortable sitting position, as well.

"…and about me…"

A gentle wind played with the trees and their shade.

"…and what had happened with your magic in the kingdom of Mirkwood, Greenwood the Great."

* * *

A/N: Okay! So that's out of the way and it kind of introduces Kaza-chan into the world of Middle-Earth and all its AU glory! 


	2. Past Forewarning

**Mirkwood, Middle-Earth**

There was a thick layer of snow covering the ground of Mirkwood and its trees. The snow sparkled gently in the light of the full moon as a solitary Elven figure walked silently between the trees. Like all Elves, he left no footprints in the snow but he wore his cloak even though he never felt cold.

Something moved in the distance to his left and he turned his hooded head to look.

A pack of Elf-friendly wolves looked back at him with their golden eyes solemnly. Even at such a distance, he could see the pupils of their eyes. The pack leader stared hard at him and, for a second, his left eye changed colour to purple.

The wind came whistling through the snow-laden branches, scattering snowflakes in the air. It caught onto his hood and pulled it away from his face.

"A bad omen," Legolas said to himself as he watched the wolves run off. He looked up at the starry sky. "But the stars give little worry."

Another movement, different from wolves, caught his eye and he turned to look but saw nothing. Wary, he took out his knives from their sheaths on his back. He saw nothing but he knew that it could be camouflaged in the forest and he could hear something moving.

A sudden rush! Eight monstrous legs powered the huge spider towards him in a rage. It saw him try to run and brought one of its legs down on his cloak, pinning him to the ground.

Legolas fell into the snow but threw off his cloak and rolled out of the way of the spider's legs. Any other Elf in his kingdom, except for the elite warriors of the Royal Court, would have needed help to defeat a spider of that calibre. But, he was a descendant of Thranduil. He could do it without any help.

The spider towered over him and eyed him with its eight beady holes in its head. It clicked its mandibles excitedly and rushed at him again, disturbing the peace of the snow. It shrieked a wail that pained the air around them when several of its eyes were slashed by Legolas' knives.

It suddenly lunged at him so quickly that he reacted by pure instinct and dove under its belly without thinking about the consequences. He whipped around to see its long, sharp, poisonous stinger extend from its gigantic abdomen.

He waited for the right moment to get out of the way but the spider spasmed and screamed in pain by itself above him. A faint, confused thought flickered across his mind before he plunged one of his knives forcefully between the spider's thorax and abdomen, disconnecting its heart from its brain.

Gripping his knife firmly, he dashed out from under it, almost slicing it into two. The back of his shirt became soaked with its blood but he managed to get away fast enough to avoid more blood.

The spider collapsed, its eight hairy legs splayed across the glistening white snow that was slowly being stained by its pouring blood. It jerked and writhed, splattering the bloody wet snow everywhere. Finally, after a few long moments, the twitching slowed and stopped. The snowy night was still once again.

Legolas groaned and wiped away the arachnid's blood from his pale face. The full moon's light cast shadows across the gruesome scene and illuminated his long, blond hair as well as the white snow.

Something small sticking out slightly from the monster's head caught his eye. It reflected the moonlight brightly and, from what he could see, it was not of Mirkwood design nor did he recognize it.

He took a few steps towards the dead creature when he thought he saw something move in the treetops. He froze. It was fast. Fast enough to escape his eyes if it wasn't his imagination. He looked through the bare canopy but saw nothing but thick dark lines, twinkling snow and shadow.

Still cautious, he slid one of his knives back into its sheath after giving it a quick clean and picked up his dirty cloak. Even though he was inches from the dead spider, he was not afraid. In fact, he had just decided to climb the corpse to see what was embedded so firmly in its brain.

He was just about to do it when another noise stopped him.

"My lord! Prince Legolas! By the Valar, where are you?"

Legolas heaved a long sigh when he heard a familiar Elf's voice carry over the air. It was Findlas, a nobleman who was often asked by King Thranduil to find Legolas from within the depths of the forest whenever he wanted him to be back at the castle.

He turned away from the spider, cloak hanging off one shoulder, and started walking back to the cave and Findlas' calls.

"Oh, there you are," Findlas said exasperatedly when he found the prince. "Your father's been commanding me to find you since midday." His deep voice was thoroughly annoyed but Legolas knew better. Findlas had looked after him as an Elfling and was very fond of him.

"He has?" Legolas was confused. "What for? Father should know that I often walk the forest alone."

"Please, my lord." He bowed and looked at him with his steely green eyes and his expression darkened. "It isn't safe to discuss such matters out in the open. We cannot tell what is happening in our realm, but we…" He cut short and hardened his tone again. "If you will, my lord, you must return with me immediately."

Legolas nodded and pulled his cloak higher onto his shoulder. He slid his remaining knife into its sheath and said, "Of course. Please, lead the way."

Findlas nodded curtly and started the way back with Legolas beside him. He was one of the best warriors in all of Mirkwood and his military knowledge was unquestioned by those who worked with him. Often, he would be the leader and second in command only to the King and Legolas whenever there needed to be an attack, usually on the spiders.

Almost casually, he glanced over at Legolas after a while of walking and eyed his bloody cloak. "You're not injured, are you?"

"What?" Legolas was already planning the next day in his head when Findlas spoke. "Oh. No, I am unhurt. This is spider blood on my cloak. It lies dead in a clearing behind us."

"Oho," Findlas said approvingly, "you managed to defeat a spider yourself, now? Perhaps we should put you through a little test since your skills are so deadly. How do we know that you will be able to contain yourself if you ever lost your temper?"

"Test?" He asked anxiously, a little wary. "What test?"

Findlas smirked and cast a wayward glace at him. "I'm considering capturing you when your guard is at its lowest and flinging you out of Mirkwood into the great Middle-Earth by yourself for at least a full year."

"If you did that, I would either come back spiting my own kingdom or not return at all!"

"Wouldn't that be a shame?" Findlas teased him.

The pure snow illuminated the forest further with the silver moonlight that descended from the dark sky as the two Elves silently walked across it back to the cavernous realm of King Thranduil. All around them, the creatures of night watched from the shadows as they glided by on the snow. Occasionally, they would hear an animal move around the thick branches and the powdery snow would fall, releasing a sparkling cloud of snowflakes into the air.

The golden light of the Great Hall came into view like a candle in the distance. The fires of the hearths deep within the castle gave light to weary travellers who found their sacred realm. Sweet, delicate music wafted through the winter air like the gentle chimes of icicles in the wind. The feeling of home drew them into the Hall.

Standing between two hearths on the floor, drenched in the red-orange light of the fires stood the intimidating King Thranduil. He stood even taller than Legolas and possessed an aura of a seasoned warrior. His stern face was like Legolas', chiselled with beautiful features but with a greater degree of sharpness. Although his glare would send fleets of Orcs fleeing in terror, his eyes would often carry a softness that he administered onto his kingdom and its people.

However, an expression that was between anger, pained anxiety and great relief was etched across his face when he saw Legolas return with Findlas.

Right as Legolas crossed the threshold into the cave, Thranduil almost rushed at him and knocked him over in surprise when the King affectionately held his arms and shoulders in gratitude.

"I'm so glad you returned to me safely," Thranduil told him with great warmth.

"What is the matter?" Legolas demanded, bewildered. "Ada, are you hurt? Is something worrying you so much that you would actually fall ill?"

Thranduil chuckled and put his arm around his shoulders. "Not anymore, son. Findlas, I thank you once more with gratitude for finding him and bringing him back."

"It is one of my duties, my lord," he returned with a bow. "All the Valar know that Prince Legolas can never stay out of trouble. Perhaps we should show him now, my king."

"Yes, of course." With his arm still around Legolas' shoulders, he gently steered him deeper into their home.

"Show me what?" Legolas asked, still thoroughly confused. "Will someone please tell me what is going on?"

"Be patient, Legolas." He patted his shoulders and continued to lead him through the torch-lit halls. "You ask too many questions, like a little Elfling."

"I know, I know," he sighed. "But will you please answer one question, Ada?"

Thranduil nodded and waved for Findlas to catch up with them.

"Will you at least tell me where you are leading me?" They had begun to climb a series of flights of stairs.

"The Atrium," Thranduil replied and pointed up high through the layers of rock. "Elarian has interpreted a path in the stars and she is waiting for us."

"The Stargazer?" Legolas began to feel the first stirrings of uncomfortable anxiety in his heart. He knew that if the Stargazer was involved, there was something serious that needed to be known to Mirkwood.

An old and mystical Elf, Elarian the Stargazer was endowed with the illusive and secret power of being able to interpret the messages of the stars. She rarely descended from her private room at the highest point of the Mirkwood castle and spent most of her days deciphering the secret messages that were written across the night sky.

Though she rarely left her room, she kept herself clean and tidy with her trailing red hair kept neatly in an intricate hair shawl. She always looked mysterious and other-worldly to Legolas, even for an Elf. Her face was hard and expressionless, however, and her right eye was dull and blind. She spoke with the soft and distant tones of one who isolated herself from the world with only the stars as her company.

"It is good that he is safely back in the castle," Elarian said as they came into her room, her back turned from them. "I do not believe he would have come back unhurt if Findlas did not find him."

Legolas had no response to this so he remained silent.

"If you could, Elarian…" Thranduil pointed to a large water bowl under a mirror placed near the balcony. "Could you tell us what you saw in the stars once more?"

She turned from her balcony and looked at them. Legolas felt a slight shiver run up his back when he looked at her blind eye. He could sense that she saw much more than anyone ever could with that eye.

Without a word, she nodded and bade them to gather around the water bowl. She, herself, stood in front of it, facing the water and the mirror that reflected the stars in the sky. She spread her arms to the mirror and chanted a soft spell her guests couldn't hear.

The mirror, which was brought to Mirkwood through trades between the worlds beyond Middle-Earth, rippled like the water beneath it. The reflection of the stars wavered and winked at the Elves until images began to form on its smooth surface.

Something shimmered and danced through the forest, like a cloth in the wind. A shadow flickered across the starry skies and the moon but was gone as quickly as it came. The image of Prince Legolas walking through the snow-drenched forest came through just before there was a flash of a blade. The figure of Legolas suddenly jumped back with his knives drawn in attack. More blades flashed in moonlight, sunlight and trees around them. Finally, a pair of monstrous jaws rushed forward, open and then all that could be seen was blood splattering across the glass.

The Stargazer's guests merely stared in awe at the mirror, which was returning to normal but still with the image of blood dripping down. Legolas, as expected, was the most shocked out of the three of them and looked at the mirror and Elarian with wide eyes. Thranduil and Findlas, though knowing of the prediction, were still awestruck by the images.

"Wh… What did that mean?" Legolas demanded, unnerved. "Are the Stars declaring that I shall die soon in my own kingdom at the jaws of a beast?"

"I do not know, my Prince," Elarian said humbly, mystically. "The visions I receive do indeed foretell an unfavourable future for you. The Stars tell me that you will be directly affected by the chain of events that are occurring right now, in our forest."

She took her gaze off them and looked back at the mirror, gracefully arching her neck with her pointed ears in the direction of the balcony as if to try and hear if it was truly happening. Her eyes filled with confusion.

"Though it was a violent vision," she said softly and closed her eyes, "I cannot feel any evil or darkness… But it is very likely that you will be harmed and possibly killed, Legolas. I strongly advise you to take care."

He nodded. "I will. Thank you for your warning and advice, Blessed Stargazer."

They soon bade the lonely Stargazer farewell but with a promise of return and descended from her high tower back to the main areas of the castle. As they walked, Legolas wondered if there was any connection between the gruesome prediction of the Stargazer and the mysterious weapon in the spider he killed earlier. He asked Findlas to accompany him in a walk in the morning.

Together, they made their way across the pure white snow below a cloud-spotted sky to the dead spider's body. The ground around it had been greatly disturbed and still reeked of blood. Though dead and full of meat, no animal dared to eat its body in fear of the evilness it carried. So, it laid there, legs jutting out at disturbing angles to the sun, gently returning its body back to the earth.

While Findlas marvelled at the Elf-prince's skills, Legolas climbed the corpse to investigate what was embedded in the spider's head. The bright sunlight dimmed as the sun hid itself behind a cloud when Legolas made a disturbing discovery.

The weapon was gone.


	3. Amulet of Silk

A/N: I am so sorry about the long delay! Writer's block is both a curse and a blessing…

* * *

About two weeks had passed since Legolas had killed the spider and received the Stargazer's prediction. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred during that time except for the burning of the spider's corpse, which was more of a tradition than a ritual. That is, nothing out of the ordinary happened until the sixteenth day after the prediction was made…

"King Thranduil! Prince Legolas!" A young elf ran through the halls of the underground castle calling their names. "King Thranduil! There's something you need to see!"

"Tiraal?" Legolas stepped out from the library just as the elf ran past. "What is it, elfling?"

Normally, Tiraal would scowl at him but he was too full of excitement to care. "I cannot describe it to you because there are no words to describe what was brought into the castle. You must go to the throne room to see for yourself, my lord!" He ran off looking for Thranduil now that the Prince had received the message.

Curious, Legolas set down his book and made his way to the throne room. Many of the female elves looked excited and lively chatter grew steadily louder as he neared the room. He looked over the banister that hung over the lower floor and a shock of colour met his eyes.

Marvellous bolts of fantastically coloured fabric were laid side by side on the floor, each more beautiful than the last. The bright sunlight from the windows streamed in and danced across the fabrics like none other seen in Middle-Earth. Vibrant reds lay next to soft violets while luscious blues of every shade shared the floor with the rich greens that echoed the forests.

Breathless, Legolas went down to the lower floor without taking his eyes off of the fabrics. He bent down and picked up a bolt of the lightest blue he had ever seen and was rendered speechless by the softness and weightlessness of the material.

"Like touching a cloud," an elf, much older than he, said. His name was Elin and he had been travelling for some years, though nobody quite knew where. "My travelling party and I brought these fabrics back."

"They're so soft," Legolas whispered. He gently unravelled a rich, dark green scroll and watched intricate patterns of gold weaved into the fabric shimmer in the sun when he moved it. "Exquisite. You must have taken them from the Valar themselves. If not, the Fallen Maiar gave them to you and disaster will fall upon us."

"No, my lord," Elin laughed but his dark eyes softened a bit. "We had left the boundaries of Middle-Earth and something strange caught our eyes in the distance. When we came close, we saw that it was a destroyed carriage with these treasures inside. We searched for survivors but found none."

"None at all?"

He shook his head sadly. "These fabrics were carefully hidden so whatever attacked the carriage most likely looked them over and stole anything else of value."

"Or the attackers were looking for something else," Legolas suggested darkly. "These fabrics are like our silk but softer like elanor petals and lighter than the winds. They would hold incredible value in our lands."

He couldn't stop running his hands over the forest green silk inlaid with gold. It was unlike anything he had ever felt and he loved it. Elin noticed and gave him a smirk.

"I assume the royalty approves of our findings?"

Legolas looked at him like he was trying to figure out how he could know so quickly. Then, he looked at his hand, which was still stroking the delicate material, and understood. He broke out into a happy smile and nodded. "Very much so, Elin. I think I may be enjoying this silk too much."

"Well," he said slowly, "if it pleases you, the tailor can have that made into another shirt for you. I think he and his lovely assistants could even make another cloak for you with one of these silks as a lining."

"You are putting ideas into my head again," Legolas said with a laugh.

"This time, it is not as dangerous as my other ideas!"

As an elfling, Legolas would often use Elin's advice and listen to him over almost everyone else and it was because of Elin that Legolas often got into trouble but he developed a keen sense of incoming danger and quick thinking. As he grew older, he learned only to take Elin's advice in consideration and think before he acted upon it.

This time, however, he could see no harm in taking some fabric to be made into a few shirts.

He sat down on the ground, like many of his people at the time, and looked carefully at each bolt of silk. He called Elin to help him choose which ones to use.

He and Elin, along with a few others who had overheard and joined the discussion, had just decided on five different colours with different patterns and textures when Thranduil finally made his appearance.

"Oh my," he said with laughter when he saw the silks laid out in front of the throne. "I thought you were attempting to trick me when you said they were from heaven, Tiraal."

"No, sire," Tiraal laughed, "I would not dare to think of deceiving you, my King,"

"I could not mind it in the least," Thranduil called back to him as they walked down the stairs. "Just as long as it is all in good fun. Now, what are you doing with that, Legolas?"

"Ehh… er… keeping Elin out of trouble?" He had unravelled a long section of black silk and tightly wrapped it around Elin so he couldn't move without ripping the precious silk. "And, I shall have the tailor create some shirts with these silks for me."

"These?"

Thranduil knelt down and touched the five silks that were set aside from the rest. Along with the forest green and the black silk, there were a bolt of soft, light powder blue silk, another of a proud, rich red and a last roll was of a pure white, like the snow outside. Like his son, he lightly ran his hand over them and smiled.

Legolas nodded. "They are my favourites among all the fabrics."

The king got to his feet with the green silk in his arms. With a grin, he threw the bolt to his son. "You had better ask the tailor now before I take them as my own favourites."

"Yes, my lord!" He quickly untied Elin, asked some of the other Elves around him for help and, carrying the green cloth himself, rushed to the tailor.

When he got there, the tailor was ecstatic to be able to work with the versatile cloth. With his young elvish assistants, he unravelled the five rolls to decide which fabrics would be made into what. Legolas made it clear that he wanted one to be lining for a new cloak.

The tailor was giving him so many choices that he finally put his hands on the excited elf's shoulders with a quiet smile. "As long as the forest silk and the blue silk are made into shirts, I will be happy and I leave you with the decisions of the others. I know you and your apprentices will do a spectacular job."

Thanking him repeatedly, they took his measurements and set out to cut the fabrics from the templates, gently shooing Legolas out of their studio.

"Wait, Prince Legolas!" A she-elf picked up an amulet from the floor. "I believe you dropped this, my Prince." She put it in his hand and quickly rushed away to work with her colleagues.

Though confused, Legolas left with the small amulet in hand. He manoeuvred through the castle to a side exit and strolled outside in the snow. He kept close to his home since he was not carrying his weapons.

Out in the open, he opened his palm and examined the curious artefact. It was a single piece of stone tied to a long, red string similar to the silks inside. He turned it over in his hand and looked interestedly at the veins of green that flowed through the trinket. He had never seen a green stone quite like this before and the design it was carved in especially interested him.

It looked to be carved out of a single piece of stone with great skill and dexterity. It was a small, hollow green marble that was made like a twisting spherical cage. He looked closer and saw that it was just one line curving within itself and the clouds that were captured in the amulet. The delicate carvings rippled like scales of a snake over the continuous curves.

_That's strange_, he thought to himself. _Serpents do not fly. Only birds, insects and dragons fly through the air by nature's hand. What sort of creature is this, one that can fly though the air without wings?_

He held the amulet up by the ends of the frayed string and admired the workmanship of it. To be able to carve something so small out of such a stone with that level of detail on both the outside and inside was a skill that surpassed both the Elves and Dwarves. Even the intricate knot that held the amulet was something he had never seen before.

The clouds around the flying snake and the wing-like design of the knot reminded him very much of the winds but he couldn't quite understand why.

Somewhere in the trees in front of him, something moved through the branches. It was fast and silent, always merely heard and seen as a glimpse yet never actually heard or seen.

Legolas snapped to attention and scanned the forest with his keen eyes. It made him nervous to think that there was something so close to him that could move without a sound and being seen. He saw nothing and that proved nothing. He could feel someone, or something, watching him intently and it was in the forest in front of him.

_It moves much like the wind_, he thought and held the amulet tightly in his hand.

Remembering the Stargazer's prediction and fully knowing he was unarmed, he turned his back to the trees and whatever was in it and went back into the castle. He could feel the being in the forest watching him intensely even when he had long been inside the castle.

As he passed his people in his realm, he realized the danger of carrying a foreign object that came from a world that seemed to surpass the skills and techniques of their own. After all, the amulet once belonged to someone, as well as the enchanting bolts of silk that his kingdom had taken in. He could not explain it, but he sensed that the fabrics and the amulet he carried in his hand were part of something bigger.

He had walked himself right back into the castle's library as his mind pondered over the possible connections between the amulet and the fabrics. Briefly, he wondered what the hundreds of tomes and documents filled with knowledge and secrets could tell him about the amulet.

"I would not quite know where to begin searching," he said quietly to himself and rested in a chair by a tall window overlooking a reasonable area of the forest.

After making sure nobody was looking in his direction, Legolas lifted the green amulet into the sunlight to look at it again. The twisting pattern of the serpentine creature was absolutely mesmerizing. It never seemed to cease, like how a ring has no beginning or end, yet the head of the creature was clearly seen. Between clouds and the sky, it looked like it weaved its cage on the winds to protect something unseen and unknown yet clearly valuable enough for such a magnificent creature to guard over.

The sun drenched the green amulet in its clear winter brightness and the creature's delicate and intricately carved scales sparkled at him, making the illusion that it was alive in his hand.

"Caw! Caw!"

A large black raven sat at the top of a particularly tall elm tree. Clumps of snow drifted down to the ground below as it flared its dark wings at him.

"Caw! Caw!"

It was calling him.

With a mighty swoop of its wings, it took off from its lonely perch and flew away. It continued to call out with its haunting voice as its black outline glided and circled over the vast forest before drifting out of sight.

Somehow, it chilled Legolas when he saw the raven. He knew that it was calling him out of the castle into the trees and he knew that he would not be heeding its call this time.

A pair of she-elves had come into the library, still excited about the fabrics that were still in the throne room. When they ventured closer to him, Legolas hastily, discreetly, pocketed the amulet out of view.

"My lord," one asked, "did you no see what Lord Elin and his party have returned with? Many believe that they were given these gifts from the Valar themselves!"

"Yes, I did," he replied with a smile.

"Then the clothes that the tailor are making are yours, my lord?" the other asked excitedly. She flushed and said just as quickly but much more quietly, "If my lord would like to tell us, of course."

"I would not mind in the least! Those garments are indeed mine though I do not dare to think that my requests will be the only ones our tailors will have to take heed to."

"It would be quite foolish, my lord, if we may say so," the first said with a happy smile. She had also wanted to have a robe decorated with some of the fabrics but only wanted the material to do it herself.

Because he rarely exercised his power as Prince, Legolas found it easy to talk to his people. Yet at this time, he felt a little troubled in his conversation. In the back of his mind, he wondered how badly the mysterious raven and the unknown being in the forest were affecting him.

The two Elves bade him a good day to research something else of their common interest, leaving him alone once more.

He looked over his snow-covered forest kingdom in the sparkling sun. Everything seemed quite peaceful and showed no sign of any kind of threat to him or anybody else of his kingdom.

Then, he saw it.

In the very same tree that the raven had perched upon and called to him, the image of a cloaked, hooded figure was seen sitting upon the elm's high branches. It sat calmly on a branch very near to the top of the tree, near the raven's perch and completely at peace with the winds that had begun to blow around the treetops.

From the shadows of the hood, Legolas could sense the being looking at him, watching him. The memory of Elarian's prediction came sharply back into his mind once more.

He wondered as he looked back at the being, _Was that raven calling me or was it warning me of what is to come?

* * *

_


	4. Forest Dance

* * *

Despite the pleas and exasperation of his court, Legolas threw his cloak around his shoulders and over his archery equipment. After the Stargazer's premonition and the strange things he had seen, he was determined to find out if his fate was indeed written out for him in Mirkwood. 

But, many members of his court had learned that leaving the Prince out in the wild forest alone and armed with his equipment usually spelled danger in the future.

His jaw was set determinedly and he set out of his castle as silently as he could. Arrows in his quiver rocked gently across his back, the sounds muffled by a silk lining. Once outside, he strung his bow and ran across the white snow into the dark forest.

It was another cloudless night over Mirkwood with a half-moon throwing silver swords of light through the clawed branches of the ancient trees. The wind blew a bitter breeze through the land and whipped his cloak around him. It was quiet, with only the wind's voice whispering through the forest.

Suddenly, a bird took off from a branch on high.

Legolas gasped, looking towards the skies for the culprit and saw black wings flapping into the moon.

"A raven…" He said softly to himself as the silence descended upon him once again and he kept walking across the snow.

A chill ran up his spine when he realized that there were no overhead outposts in the area that he was walking through. It was considered still to be too dangerous to go through that area. Beasts, spiders and other creatures that lurked in the shadows were rumored to thrive there.

From underneath the hood of his cloak, he could sense that something was watching him from the depths of the forest. Feeling drawn away into the night, he stopped walking and looked around carefully.

The warm lights of the Elvish castle could barely be seen even with his sharp eyesight. Clouds slowly drifted across the moon and stars, dancing with the shadows beneath them. All around him was nothing but trees without any life: ravens, spiders or otherwise.

Safety was behind him, determination was with him, but a mystery wrapped in shadows was before him.

Risking all he had, Legolas continued to walk through the forest in the direction of the raven's flight. As soon as he could, he climbed up a tree and made his way through the branches.

After a couple hours of pushing through the thick foliage of the canopies, he glimpsed something that he knew didn't belong in his kingdom.

As quietly as he could, he ventured closer to it, seeing only a part of it. Smooth, scaly and brilliantly silver, it looked to have been about a meter above the ground, though the trees hid the rest of it.

As though it sensed that that he was nearby, it slithered away from him with agility that was almost impossible in the thick brush of that section of the forest.

A chase! Hypnotized, Legolas ran after it, jumping down to the ground for an easier path. The trees grew denser as the chase progressed, limiting his sight on the creature even further to mere flashes of brilliant silver in the patches of moonlight.

Just as the trees began to grow thinner, the glimpses of silver stopped appearing, leaving him without a path.

Skidding to a stop, he tried to get a bearing on where he was. From his surroundings, he could tell that it was an area where Elves rarely tread, most likely due to the thick trees and the high threat of spiders. This thought sent a shiver up his spine.

If he could not find what he was looking for fast enough, he could very well be trapped in and be killed.

Silence pressed against his ears and his senses heightened as his adrenaline rushed through his veins. Warily, his hand reached up behind his shoulder and touched the handle of his white knives.

A flash reflecting a moonbeam caught his eye! A white knife flew out of its sheath and streaked through the air in his hand. A metal on metal clash rang through the night, followed by a dull thud on a tree.

He ran as fast as he could to the thing that hit the tree, cloak whipping out behind him. He could hear three more things fly through the air and tear through his cloak.

He dived behind a tree, quickly yanking out the protruding silver out of the tree and looked at it in the cover of the branches.

Slightly bigger than his palm, it was a shiny silver five-pointed star with finely sharpened edges. Small, sleek and designed with slightly curved edges, it could clearly slice through the air and into its targets with immense power and accuracy. Tiny inscribed symbols made of small lines in elegant patterns sat at the base of each point of the star surrounding a twisting snake that looked like it was spiraling in the clouds.

Just out of the corner of his eye, Legolas saw a cloaked figure leap out of a nearby tree and withdraw two small weapons from within the cloak, diving to him.

He dodged around the tree just in time to see a thin metal prong explode into the trunk, exactly where his neck was an instant before. He ran back to the center of the small clearing with his own knives now fully bared. The silver star dropped from his hand into the snow at the same time the figure rushed out at him.

Hand-held, three-pronged metallic weapons slashed through the winter night at him. Using his agility and balance, he parried each blow that came to him with his knives.

Metal on metal clashing rang and echoed into the trees. Blow for blow, they struck and blocked each other, seemingly matching each other's strength.

The cloaked figure suddenly twisted around Legolas and, being shorter and faster, took him off-guard. The tip of the middle prong of one of his opponent's weapons bit into the back of his cloak, tearing into his tunic.

Rushing away by reflex, he kept a fair arm's length away from this opponent and threw his cloak off onto the snow. Luckily, only the hem of his sleeve was torn and got caught on the prong so he simply tore the sleeve off his arm, letting the cloth float down to the snow on top of his cloak.

The figure paused as Legolas' sleeve rippled down and moonlight struck his bare arm.

Without his cloak, Legolas could move much more easily and swiftly. He attacked with his knives with such speed and force that his opponent was merely blocking his blows with everything they had.

"You're holding back," he whispered in their ear when their blades got caught with each other and they struggled to get free. "Whoever you are, you trespassed into my kingdom and led me out here by some witchcraft. You will not escape from me."

He was suddenly pushed away in a surge of high emotion. A questioning thought fleeted across his mind for an instant before he twirled his knives and further attacked.

This time, his opponent couldn't – or at least, didn't – react quickly enough and the white knives found their target.

A small spurt of red blood sprayed out from the collar of the moving figure and their cloak now drifted down, near Legolas' own cloak.

Because of his acute warrior's reflexes, a second strike came upon his opponent before he could stop himself and instantly regretted it.

The figure yelped at the blow and fell back into the snow. A tear made by Legolas across the front of the silken black shirt barely concealed what was needed to be concealed. Two long, black braids sprawled from their head across the silver-white snow.

Legolas froze where he was standing when he realized that he was fighting a woman. Furthermore, he was quite aware that she was still wielding her weapons and she wasn't moving where she lay. He could see her blood slowly pouring out of the wounds that he had caused by his hands.

"My lady?" He asked tentatively as he sheathed one of his knives and cautiously moved towards her.

She lay across the snow with her legs sprawled across each other and her arms relaxed in front of her. She was clothed unlike any other that he had ever seen before in Middle-Earth. Her gray-brown leggings were made of a thick but soft material like cotton and her boots were made of leather in a fashion that reminded him of mountains grazing the clouds in the sky. A shoulder armor plate protected her left shoulder and breast under her robe-like shirts.

Knife gripped tightly in his left hand, he made his way around her to approach her from her back. Guiltily, he noticed the snow slowly turn red and sheathed his knife before kneeling down behind her.

When she didn't react, he put his hand on her bare arm, gently shook her and said, "My lady, you're hurt…"

With surprising force coming from a small build such as hers, she whirled her body around and pinned him to the ground with one leg on each side of his waist and her weapons thrusting towards his chest.

He grabbed her wrists, stopping his death, and looked at her face.

"… You're crying," he said gently.

Tears fell from her dark, almond-shaped eyes and rolled down her face, framed by strands of jet-black hair that had come loose from their battle.

She resisted against him for a moment but slowly stopped. She sobbed, unable to look at him and let her blades slip from her hands into the snow around them.

"Is that what I truly am, then?" She talked in a soft accented voice with a tone that echoed years of pain in her heart. Her tears continued to fall and sparkle in the light of the moon. "Everyone says that I am, so does that mean that I am…?"

Legolas managed to bring her into an upright sitting position in his lap while slowly sitting up himself to talk to her properly. He asked with deep concern in his blue eyes, "What do they say?"

She looked straight into his eyes with a shadow of the anger he had sensed before and said, "A witch. Even you, who tries to comfort me, accused me of witchcraft!"

"I… I apologize," he said with wide eyes and sincerity, "I did not mean to offend you in such a way that would cause such pain to you."

She said nothing but put her face in her hands and broke out in tears once more. She shook like a leaf in the springtime morning as he gingerly held her in his arms, trying to comfort her.

"I am Legolas, son of Thranduil, who is the ruler of this Elven realm of Mirkwood. Please, allow me to extend my hospitality to you for causing you such pain." When she didn't reply, he asked her gently, "What is your name?"

"Arashi," she whispered, head on his shoulder, "Long Arashi of the Xing Long sect. But why do you want to bring me into your home? I may be evil and wish to destroy you and your people."

"I do not believe so."

She pulled back and looked at him, puzzled. Only sincerity and kindness showed through his eyes as he smiled at her. She returned a small one of her own.

"Thank you… Legolas."

Arashi's eyes closed and she fell forward into his arms, limp. He caught her, startled and saw that his left arm was covered in her blood. Looking at her, he noticed that pointed ears were peeking out between the curtains of her hair.

"Arashi…!"

* * *

A/N: Okay, I edited some parts of this chapter because I realized that some parts were just horribly written and seemed way too much like a Mary Sue.

Please hope with me that she will not turn into a Mary Sue.


	5. Assumptions

A/N: No, I haven't completely forgotten about this fic. COMPLETELY being the keyword there.

Also, if you notice any discrepancies, please tell me since I'm writing REdemption at the same time in the Final Fantasy VII section and I might get a bit confused even though I try to reread my chapters now as editing.

--- ---

Legolas brought the limp form of Arashi into the Great Hall across his arms and all her equipment carefully stored with his own on his back. He had rushed as quickly as he could across the snow with her in his arms and he worried about the trail of blood that they had left behind as well as her well-being.

"My lord!" Tiraal had been waiting anxiously near the entrance for his return and ran up to him when he came close. "The whole castle's been… Who is that?"

"I don't know exactly," he muttered, "but she needs our help now. Go and tell the healer that she has a patient."

Tiraal just looked at Arashi, her bare skin and her wound on her collar. "Legolas, what…?"

"Now, Tiraal!" Legolas commanded him. "I do not need to repeat myself."

Startled at the sudden authoritative tone, Tiraal bowed quickly and said, "Yes, sire."

Legolas watched the younger Elf run ahead to the infirmary as he made his way there himself, weighed down by the foreign she-Elf he had in his arms. Others immediately gathered to see him, hearing that he had returned but soon realizing with suspicion that he brought back someone from outside the realm.

Curious whispers flew throughout the whole castle that reached King Thranduil's ears in a very surprisingly short period of time.

Elin kneeled down low at the feet of Thranduil and said, "My lord, your son has returned safely from the forest. However, he is on his way to the infirmary."

"He is hurt?" Thranduil immediately got to his feet and set towards the infirmary, concerned and relieved that Legolas had made it back to the castle.

"No, sire." Elin followed suit. "His opponent is."

Thranduil stopped and turned to look at Elin. He was a step lower than Elin and a torch etched the sharp features of the Elf-King's face, emphasizing the pride he had for his kingdom and his son and the worry and confusion he was feeling. "His opponent? He brought back his opponent? For what reason?"

Unable to resist out of his fraternal bond with Legolas, Elin replied half-jokingly, "Well, she is quite a beautiful, exotic Elf…"

In Elin's mind, it was quite worth the false implication that Legolas would take advantage of a helpless woman to see the absolute shock, amazement and horror on the noble king's face at the thought. He could barely imagine what a confusing mix of emotions Thranduil was feeling and attempting to sort out.

Together, they raced from the throne room to the infirmary where Legolas was helping the healer clean and bandage Arashi's wounds. The healer, named Laurefaire, was wrapping bandages around her torso and chastising Legolas.

"You really must exercise more caution!" Her long blond hair was tied back in a long braid that she wound into a bun at the nape of her neck so it wouldn't get in the way. "Not only did you bring a foreign woman without knowledge about who she is, you brought her here injured!"

"I apologize," Legolas said gently, helping her bandage the wound on the collar, "and I truly appreciate you doing this for her."

Laurefaire threw him a deadly glare. "I only do this because you ask this of me, my lord. There is a strange aura about this woman that I cannot feel comfortable with. I almost hope that you had inflicted these wounds on her."

"Laurefaire!"

Thranduil was standing in the doorway with Elin, listening to her and Legolas talk. "Those are harsh words for those of Elvenkind. Save your rage and bitter words for your enemies, not your kin."

"Yes, sire. I apologize," she said. "But it is quite obvious that this girl is not from our realm or from anywhere else in Middle-Earth! Who knows what sort of ill fates she brings with her?"

Thranduil narrowed his eyes at Legolas. "Nobody does but some really should heed warnings of omens better than they do."

He went over to the prince and examined both him and Arashi lying on the infirmary's table. His eyes traveled from Legolas' torn sleeve and his bare, muscular arm to the ripped silken shirt of Arashi's, which showed her physique quite well and was barely able to cover her chest.

"Would you care to explain yourself?" Thranduil asked with the tiniest hint of shame in his voice.

"I had to bring her back, Ada," pleaded Legolas. "I couldn't leave her out in the forest after what wrongs I had done to her. I did not mean for it to be quite this severe but I had not realized that she is a woman and could not control myself."

Thranduil looked at Legolas, appalled at what he was hearing. Elin realized the less than scrupulous thoughts of Legolas' character that he had implanted into Thranduil's mind and tried to interfere before his conversation got any worse.

"Ah, my lord…?"

"Are you saying that if she were not a woman, you would have done worse deeds to her?" demanded Thranduil.

"Yes!" Legolas said, slightly confused. "Such an occurrence as this is what I have been trained for my whole life, is it not? Findlas did give me many years of special training to bring someone to the ground like this."

"Oh, the Valar help us," moaned Elin, unable to get in a word.

Laurefaire had picked up on the sexual crimes that Thranduil was vaguely, yet clearly, accusing Legolas was and she was highly amused by Legolas' innocent reactions, knowing that he was merely feeling guilty for inflicting the wounds on Arashi. Luckily, she was also quite sure that Legolas had been a gentleman and had not touched her wrongly.

"Are you telling me," Thranduil said slowly, keeping his anger contained, "that you have violated this woman with special training from Findlas and that it would have been worse if she was male?"

Legolas gaped at his father, eyes wide and open mouthed, aghast beyond belief. At the same time, Laurefaire burst out in laughter at Legolas' expression while Elin simply stood at the door, unable to move and stared at the two royal Elves.

"N-NO!" Legolas said loudly and his cheeks turned red with embarrassment in revelation.

Slightly ashamed that his father would think that way, he pointed to Arashi's wounds and his voice shook slightly in shock. "Ada, I caused those wounds on her when we fought within the forest. I had not realized that she is a woman until her cloak fell from her. Even then, I could not stop myself due to my training from causing the wound on her stomach."

Relief exuded from Thranduil like water rushing from an opening dam. He had to stand in front of Legolas, gripping the table, for a small time to recover.

"Ada, how could you even begin to think that I would do such a thing?" Legolas cried out, still blushing.

Laurefaire was still giggling at the rare show of humiliation from the mighty king and the prince but was attempting to recover her composure when Elin finally spoke up.

"My lord, I apologize but what I had accidentally implied was really just in good fun. I did not mean it in a serious light!"

"Elin!" Legolas turned and looked at him with wide, shocked eyes.

"I'm sorry! I did not imagine that King Thranduil would actually take my words accusing your character of such a crime seriously!" He paused for a moment. "I hardly believed that anybody would."

"Well, apparently, my father did!"

Thranduil put his hand on Legolas' shoulder apologetically. "I did not mean to offend you so, Legolas. I simply overreacted at the possibility that you might have gotten yourself into something that you are not prepared for."

"Thank you, Ada… I think."

"But you do realize that she cannot remain in our kingdom," he said solemnly. "The stargazer's predictions are not to be taken lightly, especially this one."

"I know. Please, father, you must understand that I could not have just left her in the forest for the spiders and demons to devour her. I had spilled her blood over the snow. It would not have taken long for creatures to prey on her."

Thranduil looked at his pleading son. "You would risk your life and your kingdom to save this girl's life?"

"To save any life," Legolas replied. "To save any goodness, which I believe she has."

Thranduil looked at Laurefaire, Elin and finally at Arashi, who was still unconscious on the table. Comparing her to the Elves of his kingdom, he thought Arashi looked somewhat of an exotic child with her long, black hair and rounder face. Her build was also smaller but more compact than the Mirkwood Elves, or any of the other Elves or Men in Middle-Earth.

She looked harmless but the muscle that was shown through her bare skin told him she was potentially quite strong, if not very swift on her feet and with her weapons.

"She could be dangerous to you and our realm, Legolas," he said to him solemnly. "She cannot remain here. We don't know what sort of abilities she has or why she has wandered so deep within Middle-Earth when it is quite clear that she does not come from any region that we have heard of."

"I… suppose she cannot," admitted Legolas, "but I beg you to let her stay here until her wounds have healed. I would not feel right if we did not let her recover before we turn her away."

Laurefaire was looking at Arashi's still body, contemplating the potential threat she was. Arashi had managed to damage Legolas' shirt, which meant that she was skilled enough to get that close to the Elvish prince warrior in battle, making her quite skilled as a warrior herself. However, her smaller frame might make it easier to keep her restrained and she stood out amongst the rest of the Elves in Mirkwood.

But it was her intentions for being in Mirkwood that made Laurefaire suspicious of her. That and something unseen but could be sensed by the healer that she couldn't quite understand what it was. It was something she feared.

"My lord," Elin said, sensing a strange, dormant power in Arashi as well, "it may not be wise to let her remain here, true. But until we understand clearly what she is doing here, we are obligated to give her our hospitality."

Laurefaire whirled around and looked at him. "And let her bring destruction upon us?"

"You're overreacting. We do not know that she will or even if she has the ability to do that."

"She possesses a strange power, Elin! Do not lie to me and say that you do not sense it as well because I can see it in your eyes that you do. My lords Thranduil and Legolas, we cannot risk letting her stay here any longer than she already has!"

Thranduil looked at the three in front of him, one by one, listening and thinking about each of their arguments. Carefully deciding on what to do, he stood straight.

"Legolas," he said, "I will allow her to remain here until she has recovered or until she becomes a threat. From now until the time when one occurs, she will be your responsibility and she will be in your charge. If she turns out to be a threat, we will set out to kill her. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my lord," Legolas said with a small bow.

"Laurefaire, I know you do not like her presence within these walls but I trust that you will do an admirable job to help her recover as quickly as possible, as usual."

"She can be moved out of the infirmary, sire," she said tersely, slightly unnerved by Arashi's hidden power. "They were merely flesh wounds so she just needs some time to recover her energy and heal."

Thranduil nodded. "Elin, would you help Legolas carry her to one of the guest rooms on the second level?"

"Yes, sire," Elin said and bowed. "It would be my honor."

Thranduil nodded once again and began to leave, prompting Legolas to gather her equipment along with his while Elin and Laurefaire, although reluctantly on her part, prepared a stretcher to transport Arashi to a new room. However, Thranduil stopped in the doorway and looked back.

"Oh, and Legolas?"

"Yes, my lord?" He turned to look at him.

"There is a special realm in the dark pits of Hell reserved for those who take advantage of incapacitated maidens," Thranduil told him with a light-hearted smile. "Keep that in mind."

"Ada!" Legolas said, offended and amidst laughs from both Laurefaire and Elin.

---

Back in his own room, Legolas took off what remained of his shirt and examined the tear while comparing it to the fallen sleeve to see if there was anything salvageable for the shirt.

He quickly saw that his shirt could never be a proper shirt again but he could wear it without sleeves underneath as an extra layer. He decided he could use the sleeve fabric to help reinforce damaged lining in some of the hunters' quivers.

Knowing his tailors would do a much better job at dismembering his shirt, he set it aside for the next day and lay down on his bed to rest, topless.

The cold winter wind flowed through his window and brushed against his chest. Relaxing, he let his mind wander as his body replenished its strength.

Unknown to him, the small green pendant that he had in his pocket began to glow and pulse, on and off, on and off…

Elsewhere in the castle, a certain Elf's hand twitched in her slumber as if it were reaching, grasping for something…

A growl rumbled through the forest, unheard by the Elves and terrifying the beasts that crept through the silvered trees. A ripple of silver scales paced across the snow, clawing at the ground, waiting anxiously. Growls escaped it, sensing something nearby and it swiftly flew back into the shadows, leaving behind a faint glittering cloud of snow floating and drifting back onto the ground.

A large hare had wandered out of its den in search for some scant provisions.

A pair of hungry eyes watched it from the cover of the trees.

The hare's long ears perked and it ran away, its big feet kicking up clumps of snow, causing a flash of silver to shoot out of the trees.

All that was left was a few drops of red blood that stained the white snow.

Above it, a raven called out and flew off its perch, towards the Great Hall of Mirkwood, its soul-shaking cry echoing across the forest to all those who would hear its warning under the steely clouds of the night.

--- ---

A/N: So it's been… a really, really long time since I last updated this but… Okay, in all honesty, I just didn't feel like writing this fic for a really, really long time.

I recently noticed that I abused Legolas a lot in _Search for Darkness_ and I'm wondering if I should do the same in _Jade Dragon_ (in his own kingdom, no less).

And yes, I have noticed that my writing has been absolute crap in this one but I'm slowly in the process of editing my fics. (_Search for Darkness_ is edited!)


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